Switch



March 7, 1933. T. B. BASH 1,900,687

SWITCH Filed March 16 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l f N VE N T0 R A TTORIVEY Mama] 7/, 1933. ?.,%@@,58?

SWITCH Filed. March 16, 1.925 2 Sheets-Sheet A TTOANE Y Patented Mar. 7, 1933 THOMAS nrasn, or KANSAS- CITY,:MI$SOIJBI swrrcrr Application filed March 1s,"1925; seria1no. 15,738. L I

.L This invention relates to switches and particularly to switches used for disconnecting electricalconductors from'the main line or the live side of the line.

4. Specifically the invention consists in a switch employing a fuse, the construction being such that the fuse element of the switch is enclosed'in a box or casing. Such switches areusually constructed with wooden boxes so that', when they are used outside, in connection with transformers and the like, the boxes soo'ndeteriorate due to exposure to the elements and they afford very little protection to the switch mechanism due to the fact .that they. have slight resistance to passage of-current after being exposed to rain or damp: weather.

Myzinvention contemplates a novel form of fuse switch in which the switch elements areenclosed in an insulated housing of poor :conductivity. The housing is preferably anade of porcelain or similar material which will not only afford high resistance but which will resist the elements, deterioration being practically nil and I have provided a construction of box or housing adapted-to conjnectfto the live lead-in wire from either side.

The construction of the switch as a whole is such that-there is practically no liability of arcing between the contact members of the fuse.- Thefuse is so constructed that it may easily be-applied or removed as occasion demands and it is so associated with the box that when the fuse blows out the combustion gases will berdischarged in the rear of the box, thus eliminating liability of injury to :the operator applying or removing the fuse.

f There are'more or less important features I incorporated in my invention. All of these will be described specifically hereinafter, ref- :erence being had to the accompanying drawings, in which 7 v Fig. 1 is a view partly in perspective and partly in section of a switch constructed in accordance with my invention.

ig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of (a. fuse puller stick to be used inv connection -,with the switch.

1 1 'Fig. 3 is a view partly in longitudinal sec- .,tion and partly in elevation of the switch.

the sockets being fastened therein, inany.

- Fig.4: isasectional viewion the line:el+4 of Fig. 3, showing a preferredform of hjng e construction,and s. j Fig. 5-is a sectional view through on e of .ghe bushings and one of the side walls of-the 'OX ,f it

Referringnow-to the drawings numerals of reference ,,ldesignates the backwall of the boxhaving-an integral top 2 and alike bottom 3; that the back walhrtop and bottom are preferably made or formed or a single piece of moulded insulating material, preferably-dry processporcelain. The separateremovable sidewalls i and 4',are.,pro vided with central; offset, thickened wallpor- .tions 5 and 6, the edges of which are spaced fromthe edges of the side walls to :provide shoulders? and 8 against whichthe back, top, bottom and the door 9 may abut, it beingunderstood that theshoulders for theportions Z9 5 and;6 extend around the entire rectangular contour of saidportions 5 and 6. 'lngorder ,to secure the-side walls to the b ack, top, and

bottom I provide an appropriatenumber of tie rods 10. These extend through the to and bottom me'mbers and through thelbac and they are preferably provided with heads. Each tie rod, however, has, a threaded end to receive a nut 11 so that-the tie'i'ods may be taken .out to permit reversal of theside 3.

walls. This will be, desirable when it is expedient to connect the line lead-in wire-to the right side of the box and the wire leading to the load to the left side of the box or vice versa, as will be more fully explained hereinafter. I I i The tie rods pass through the upper ends of the side walls and through the top, also passing through hinge bars 12, one ateach side wall. The forwardends 13;o f the hinge; bars being slightly, offset to receive complementary hinge bars 14: connected 'by, the screws 15 which pass through the bars 14 and into sockets inthe edges bfth door 9,

suitable manner Complementary bars, of each set are connected together by, pivots 16,-see Fig. 4, which pass through them,'the bars being held in frictional contact by spring washersl? and 18 which bear againstfthe.

cured between the side walls at the rabbetedjoint formed betweenthese nembersh The relief opening 21 near the rear wall so that operator is in the vicinityof theboxothe flame, if any, will be directed away from the door poi-titan thereby eliminating danger ofin] ury to the operatorl A j As above explained the door isjhinged' at t tbp ibftlie',boxer casing so I have prosided a c'las'p ordatclf at the bottom edge of the box. This is shown as consisting of Qatri bn f "ackaipo'ii itsel-fto'forin"an imte aed 'eearon 22 in thelower' edge of the door with a projecting edge: 23 adapted to 'b'e enga'g'edby the flanged end 240i the 'blade 25'. on the pullerstick handle 26 to pull the door bpjen' }Part of the latch eXten ds horizbn'tallyto provide a'tong'ue 2Twith a notch "er-gam 28- toe'ngage 'the protuberance or ,i ibiQ Q -ontliefbottom Mime box so that when the are in the'position shown in' Fig. '3 the doorwill be held against opening ac- "eidentally-l; The pullerst'ick-flfi is also used 'foi: F tlie purpose-of removing the fuse, therefore,

30-sp'aced from the flange orflip 24k, the pnirig beingadapted 'to engage a pro] ecfti on on the'fiise' to "be'r'eferred' to hereinafter. Itisfnecessary to support tl e "box in a m perjmann rse-forums: purpose-I have pro "vi'ded 'a bracketi 81 "having ana'rm- 32 adapted tobe fastened to the back of the box by a bolt 33' which passes into a'pocket or recess 34 "which,will fp'referably "be weinented "therein "soils "to prevent; the bracket froni 'separating from thej'bdXb'rthe box irony-the bracket. The "bracket-[is preferably yoke shaped, that is, it is'proyided withfa jaw 35 adapted to en l ga'gelover a' ,'ci 'oss arm 36 on the pole-but obdesigned to v'iou'sly the bracket 31 might be fit over a pintype insulator. I

f The back wall of theboX is p'r'ovidedwith a later'ally'extending, inwardly disposed wall pliejaaon' 3? adapted to" aga with a like These two'proje ti oiis constitute in- :termdim insulating walls pryparatiom be- ":tween' the ends 1 "of the fuse 1 compartment 39 'which ist esp'a'ce within thebox; The par- ..tition thus "fo'rmed bygth'e two 'ifiembersfi'l' prevents ageing betweenthe two bonerets of the ius'e, this 'beiiig iiiapoittant befuse ic'o vaporsfso neti "fornii n mesmeaama. to an are or short between the "two terminal co'nt'a'cts' of the 'otherhighly conduc'tiite material, r liner end of each stud, that is on the end in the event that the fuse blows while the the use 4" 01113 througl-i the-' studs-w-hich terminals for' the'bori:

2 lli Q cable's, both incoming and outgoing, "designated 53 and 54am fastenedt'o the ends of the studs by nuts 55, the inner-amt bearing tlieblade 25' is provided With an openand 59 wi V the 'boiittzctfil and th'at the inner tube flextends through th contact'member 62 sothat the contact mea-nb'e 62*is sleeved-'u-ponit. The "tube 59-,"lioweve t i V .58 and ts 5 lower end bears against; the -top fuse. Th members 37 and 38 are provided with half round notches 4:0 and ll to receive the fuse 42 between them. The fuse is supported by two bushings L3 and 44C cemented in the side walls t and l of the box, the ceinenting material being shown at 45 in Fig. 5. Th bushingsgare preierablygmade from wetpr-ocessporcelain aaid eaclf'busliing is shown as having a longitudinal central bore a s ol bottom of the box 1s providedmth" apressure t ecgiflre fl stud 47 of metal or On the within the box is a clip member or head 48 v.inthe form of truncated cone. It is rigid on the stud. Thereis a similar member 49 loose'on the projecting end=50 of the stud,

the member 49 being-urged toward the meni 'ber 48 by a spr ng washer bl whiche bears against the head 52 ofthe-stud andagainst themember '49 so c hat there is aitendency to I:

forte theniemb'er lg of the clip. gai'gain fi 1-51 member 48' In ordeu'to cleanly distinguish between the. twoLstuds I have designated 'the bushing and the other an ou tlet bushing "with eonneetin'gs them. The bushings 4'3 and- 44 have: very high dieieetric strength and'sinee the 'wa l ls ofstlie box have high dielectric sti'engtlntlrough not necessarily zas high as the bushings. the curreht-canypass 'constitute the against 'a washe'r 56 abuttin'g against its bushmg-so a's to draw the-head 48 against the inner end" of the bushing and 'h old it=rigid thereto- -I-t-willbe observed that a washer flm'a-y be interposed betweenthe head and the end of the lmsl-nn w'henever desired. l

The'=-fuse is iliustrated "as comp'rising'a'n 'in-ue'r tube b -an'd anout'er tube- 59. lhese may be constructed of' fibre and thei areheld in spaced relation bifthe tubularprojection 60 onthe low er eudofi thetermin'al or con tact member bl-i -Th'e member-6 1 has a co1np l'ementary contact nu r'ufber 62 at the lower 'ends'bf the tubes. ii lhe jihembeis '61-' and 62 being the contacts-tor theiuse'ribbo'n -63 which passes throughthe inn'ertaibefiS and andfGQ n a ndvelmanneizf By referenceto 1* 1'2" i be" observed that the tubes 58 1. bear against the body'portion 'of horter thari "the tube endofthe member 62 and it will be fuifther observebtliatthe tube-passes thro'ugh the.., opening-formed"by the notches 40 and also that when the door is closed the partitions 87 and 38 divide the box into an upper chamber and a lower chamber with one fuse contact in each, therefore liability of arcing or shorts due to vapor in the box will be'eliminated because each contact is segregated into its separate compartment.

The bushings have heretofore been specifically described and they form the supports for the fuse which constitutes the conductor between them so it is desirable to have a fuse which may be readily connected and disconnected from the bushings and inasmuch as the switch is adapted to be used on lines carrying dangerous voltages the fuse should be constructed so that it can be put into place and removed without danger to the open tor, so I have provided a convenient means for accomplishing this result.

The means illustrated consist, in addition to that part of the fuse described, of two contact knives or blades 64 and the blade 64 being on the contact member or sleeve 62 and is provided with a notch 64 to hang over the stud 47 on the bushing i l the knife hav ing a Wide blade so-that it may contact with the members 48 and 49 and be held in proper electrical contact by the spring washer 51. The knife 65 carried by the upper co tactmember 61, which unlike the member 62 W in the form of a cap or head. has also wide blade having a notch 65 which engages over the stud 47' and like the blade 6% it is held in intimate relation between two members like the members 48 and 49 on the upper stud 47. The not-ch in the blade 64 is transversely of the blade while the notch in the blade 65 is longitudinally of the blade so that the fuse can be slipped into place in a convenient manner by hooking over the blade 64 onto the bushing 46 and pressing rearwardly on the upper end of the fuse to force the blade between the contact plates or heads 48 and 49, the notch 65 being slightly inclined away from the longitudinal center of the blade so that it will better hold in place.

Since dangerous voltages pass through the fuse and since it is dangerous to touch the fuse with the bare hand, I have provided a socket or loop '66 on the upper end of he member 61 for the introduction of the blade 25 of a puller stick 26 shown in Fig. 2 and the wall of the loop or socket is provioed with an outstanding stud 67 which may engage the opening 30 on'the blade 25 of the pulle stick so that the operator may introduce the blade into the socket with the flange 24 engaging over the socket and the stud 67 in the hole 30 whereby the operator give an upward and forward pull to remove the fuse and a reverse operation to apply the fuse. It is to be understood, of course. that the handle of the puller stick is of insulated material.

The ribbon 63 may be secured in any appropriate manner but for convenience of manufacture I have shown the upper contact 61 provided with a socket 69 into which the upper end of the ribbon may be introduced and clamped against the floor thereof by a screw clamp 68. The ribbon extends through the inner tube and around the end thereof into a socket stud 70 where it is clamped by a clamping screw 71, see Fig. 3, and in this connection attention is called to the fact that he lower open end of the inner tube is adjacent to the opening 21 in the box so that in the event that the fuse blows the gases will be directed downwardly and rearwardly away from the door and away from the oper ator should he happen to be in the vicinity of the box at that time. By reference to the drawings it will be observed that the gases must be directed downwardly and rearwardly into the rearwardly disposed lower end of the box.

It sometimes becomes necessary or desirable to lead the live or energizing side of the line to the left hand side of the box instead of to the right hand side as illustrated. In this event it is only necessary to remove the tie rods 10 and reverse the two sides 4 and 4 so that the lower bushing 44 will be at the top of the box and the upper bushing 43 will be at the bottom of the box. This is made possible by the fact that the two sides are symmetrical and are reversible with relation to the single co-operating member comprising the back, top and bottom and it is further due to the fact that the holes in the bottom of each side member are spaced the same distance apart. The holes in the upper portions of the sides are spaced so that the holes will register with those in the intermediate members consisting of the back, top

and bot-tom, whether the sides are in the position shown in Fig. 1 or reversed.

There is an advantage in providing the outer tub-e 59 in addition to the inner tube 58 because the outer tube increases the flash-- over distan e between the contact members 61 and 62 in addition to which it helps to reinforce the inner tube against the pressure therein at the time of the blowing of the fuse.

It will be apparent from an inspection of the drawings that when the door is closed and held in position by the latch that danger of the fuse becoming disconnected from the studs 47 and 47 will be eliminated because the projection or partition member 37 will act as a stop to prevent the upper end of the fuse from moving outwardly toward the opening in the door, so it will be impossible for tl e fuse to become disconnected while the door is closed.

I have particularly designed this inven tion for safety and convenience and I have elaborately illustrated the details of the pre ferred construction but it is to be understood, of course, that I do not limit myself to the particular construction shown for it is obtg divide t e trminqlg if IQ a ad,

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f g y uctlm v1 i l by h s e of material havia H v mm w $5 .7 ,1. W bars carried by the bushifi on the stud memhergl mthinj q' and a; fusible elgmmt havmgw e y i' 1.1. A the tam terminals. 7. Axwitch, com dlmiw, h g d z y versible' sides, by I and pmfifimof the reggegvi've sideg, infi; of ma tmigl hagin' r ah dj-eleetuc strangflw; 1 terminal-stud byfi lp ings, friction meana on locafiedwithin the box rmmpyahle in; iug ands eugaguble by the connect the tvq terminals, amid fnetm w tlgiw comprising two members one of vhifil movement relative to tbs carried'by the re g fi I ceivable bfibween e #flhw vevsible sides, bushmgs urvmd byi end portions of the ngspontive sidewthg I kg m g of m a Ii-91mm 'strangth', -pm1lw 7 cated within the bump ing ends tingebble by to connect 4: two @W;' w 3 U n comprising whisk has movement RIM-1742M he bladaaicztried b l fuse -mtii'abl the wh n blndekhaving a notch.mcble mm of 5 f' L 5 9. AswitchmomprixL m'boxaf ductivi ty vent i mwtti bushings can by mummy thb respective sides-,sbhe'lmshi w. of material having lippi-eciab strength,metallicelctrihminfil bers' canried by the bushingi, flifitifllon the stud members loaned within s removable fusa hayingends the mamto Q19?- said when? In K pom}, and; ofsaid:

' gihof 1g veztm cartridge, contact elements connecting said terminal members and cartridge, said elements being disposed on opposite sides and near the ends of said cartridge, said cartridge being inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the box, and away from said access opening.

11. A s "itch comprising a box of substantially rectangular section and appreciable dielectric strength, having a front opening for access to the interior, a lead-in terminal at one end of the box, an outlet terminal at the other end of the box and a hollow fuse cartridge, connectors disposed on opposite sides of the cartridge, near the ends thereof, engagingthe terminals, the lower open end of the cartridge being directed downwardly and toward the rear of the box, and disposed in line with an opening adjacent the rear wall of the box, the box being pr vided with a door for said access opening, and means on the door for holding the fuse against accidental displacement with respect to the terminals.

12. A switch comprising a box consisting of material having appreciable dielectric strength, said box comprising bottom, a top and a back wall connecting them, removable side walls secured to the top, bottom and back wall, hinge bars carried at the top portion of the side walls, a door, hinge bars car ried by the door, means for frictionally connecting the first named bars to the seconc named bars and a latch carried by the door for engagement with the bottom of the box.

13. A switch, comprising a box consisting of material having appreciable dielectric strength, said box comprising a bottom, a top and a back wall connecting them, removable side walls secured at the top, bottom and back wall, hinge bars carried at the top portion of the side Walls, a door, hinge bars carried by the door, means for frictionally connecting the first named bars to the second named bars and a latch carried by the door for engagement with the bottom of the box, the door having a transverse partition member aligned with the complementary member on the back wall of the box.

14. A switch comprising a box consisting of material having appreciable dielectric strength, said box comprising a bottom, a top and a back wall connecting them, removable side walls secured at the top, bottom and back wall, hinge bars carried at the top por tion of the side walls, a door, hinge bars carried by the door, means for frictionally conmeeting the first named bars to the second named bars and a latch carried by the door for engagement with the bottom of the box, the door having a transverse partition member aligned with the complementary member on the back wall of the box, the bottom member being provided with an opening at the rear wall of the box.

15. A switch comprising abox having a lead-in terminal and an outlet terminal, a fuse for connecting the terminals, said fuse including a pair of spaced tubes, a terminal engaging cap at the upper end of the tubes, the cap having means for maintaining the tubes in position, a terminal engaging member at the lower ends of the tubes, said member embracing the inner tube and having a portion against which one end of the outer tube bears, a fusible element connection to the terminal engaging means for the tubes and means for clamping the fusible element into the terminal engaging means.

16. A switch comprising a box having a back wall, side walls, top and bottom and a door closing an opening thereto, a lead-in terminal carried by one wall of the box, an outlet terminal carried by the other wall of the box, a fuse connecting the terminals, the fuse being inclined within the box so that the lower end is in line with an opening in the bottom of the box adjacent said back wall.

17. A switch comprising a box having a lead-in terminal, an outlet terminal and a fuse connecting them, said fuse comprising a plurality of tubes in spaced relation, the inner tube carrying a cap at one end for connection to the inlet terminal and a contact member at its lower end for connection with its outlet member, a fusible element for connecting the terminals and passing through the inner tube, a socket member formed on the cap having a projection from its wall to engage an opening in a puller stick insertable in the socket member.

18. A switch comprising a closed box, having a partition extension transversely thereof between the upper and lower ends, the box having an opening in its bottom near the back wall thereof, a lead-in terminal near the front wall of the box, an outlet terminal near the opposite wall of the box, a fuse connecting them, the fuse extending through the partition and having a hollow portion closed at its upper end and open at its lower end, the lower end being in line with the opening in the bottom of the box.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

THOMAS B. BASH. 

